Messy is the New Neat

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BE SLOPPIER WITH YOUR SCHEDULE "If you keep a tight calendar and you're not a dentist or a hair stylist, try being looser and not packing as many things in," says Freedman. A less structured date book makes it easier to adapt to inevitable surprises and affords you freedom to just go with the flow.

FORGET FILING If you organize your CD library alphabetically by artist, the collection will be randomly assorted with regard to style of music. If you structure it by date, it won't be sorted by artist. Whatever parameters you use for ordering means randomness for some other characteristic.

If your New Year's resolution was to straighten up, you still have time to reconsider. Your time, energy and money might be better spent on something else.